When I received the invitation to my friend Jeff's wedding I was delighted. I knew I would be in for something special and different and I was not disappointed.
A little background is in order here.
I met Jeff through a mutual friend in the summer of '89. We were playing B.B. Gun Wars ( yes we were nuts ) and I got a lucky shot off ( could have been not so lucky )and hit him right between the eyes, knocking his "safety glasses" off. I thought he was going to beat me up, but instead, we laughed and a friendship was born. Throughout the next year Jeff and I got very close, he taught me the ways of the jock, and I taught him the ways of the musician. Since Jeff was a year ahead of me, he went off to Colgate my senior year on a football scholarship. We stayed in contact and I got an early taste of college life when I went for frequent visits. After that year life took over and we went our separate ways.
Flash forward to June 2nd 2007 when my band played at an out of the way bar in Jordan NY. Jeff and my friend Chris decided to come out and see the band. It was good to reconnect with him, and even though he has had a ton of life experiences, ups and downs, I could see he was still the lively full of life character that he always was. From there Jeff and I started contacting each other and here we are today.
During our meeting Jeff spoke of a wonderful girl that he had met ( his wife to be, Elizabeth ) and how outgoing and adventurous she was. Little did I know that prior to us hanging out, they applied for a reality tv show in Alaska and were accepted. This was exciting news and right up my alley, since at the time I was rediscovering my love of nature and the outdoors.
Heather and I attended the wedding last Saturday in rural Wallkill, NY, which was a perfect setting for Jeff and Elizabeth. Following the TomTom with blinders on, I drove right past a sign that read "Celebration". That had to be it. We turned around and drove down a long stone driveway to be greeted by Jeff's younger brother, Craig who was helping with the parking.
The setting was beautiful and quaint on a farm complete with a pond and some beautiful willow trees. It was under these trees, adorned with candles, that the couple exchanged their wedding vows. I was most impressed with the priest, who delivered a heart-warming sermon. The kind that makes you think and reflect on your own life and the love you feel. I only needed to look to my left for confirmation of this. Its easy to get caught up in all the raw emotions that are floating around during a wedding. Something so personal and deep can bring out the best in all of us.
What made this wedding different from the myriad of other weddings I have been to? Well there was the first dance and the announcements of the wedding party. However after that we were treated to an amazing BBQ style dinner. We drank beer from canning jars. We enjoyed fresh pies. We danced to some old 80's music and socialized. Enjoyed cake that the bride made herself. From the description here it almost sounds like this could be featured on Redneck Weddings. But it was elegant and done with class. It made the whole day a wonderful relaxing affair full of good friends and happiness.
Late that night after many beers and other adult beverages the temperature started to plummet. We left the tent and looked to the sky to be treated to the most spectacular night sky I have ever seen. The milky way was vivid. The constellations painted the sky. And Venus was bright to the South. It was a fitting end to a great day, to have the roman goddess of love shining as the brightest light in the night sky.
1 comment:
Elizabeth just sent me this link... hard to believe it has been a year, and your description brought it all back to me in perfect detail. E and I will be talking about what a perfect day it was tonight over dinner. Thanks for the beautiful description, and thanks for coming!!
Jeff
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